


Don't Outshine Me

by Nephila



Category: VIXX
Genre: Fluffy, N and Leo are kids, Taekwoon is protective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 09:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11483856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nephila/pseuds/Nephila
Summary: Fluffy one shot about Taekwoon and Hakyeon meeting during dance class. Both boys are seven years old.





	Don't Outshine Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Here's some fluff to keep everyone happy till my next update of YWLMS. Unfortunately, this is unbeta'd. Hopefully, there aren't too many mistakes. Also, I know absolutely nothing about dance (of any kind) what so ever, so please don't fault me for any mistakes I make in that regard.
> 
> Don't Outshine Me has been translated into Vietnamese!! I'm so excited!! Thank you so much LeeJi!!!! You're amazing!!! Anyone that wants to check it out can find it [ Here ](https://leeji98.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/transfic-taekwoon-hakyeon-dont-outshine-me/)

"Woonie, I want you to be a good boy today okay?"

Taekwoon looked up at his mother, smiling slightly and nodding at her before looking shyly back at the class of young children. All of them were there to learn how to dance, though in Taekwoon's seven-year-old opinion most of them just wanted to copy idols on the television.

Dancing was one of Taekwoon's favorite things, along with singing and playing the piano. He couldn't imagine his life without doing any of them.

As his mother took hold of his hand, he tried to walk with as much grace as he could, holding his head high and not looking at anyone else in the room. It was how the older students in his old studio had walked around. He had always thought they were so beautiful when he saw them. Someday he hoped he could be just as beautiful and graceful as them.

As they made their way to the back of the room, where the instructor was speaking with a few other parents, Taekwoon tried to look around without actually looking like he was doing so. Many of the other children were playing and talking with each other. They all seemed to be friends already. Taekwoon was a little jealous. In his old school, he was always the odd one out. The other children would pair up and leave him out, just because he was quiet. Most of them called him weird and would run away when he tried to speak to them. The rest picked on him because of his dancing. The teacher would always praise Taekwoon and ask the rest of the class to copy him. The other children didn't seem to like that very much.

Taekwoon was pulled from his thoughts when another boy about his age ran up to him. The boy had dark skin, the color of toffee and a smile so wide Taekwoon was worried his face would rip.

"Hi! My name is Hakyeon, what's your name?" The boy practically yelled in his face, causing Taekwoon to take a step back.

"Hakyeon, you need to use your inside voice. Taekwoon is new and might not be comfortable here yet, okay?"

"Yes, eomma." Taekwoon hid a giggle behind his hand as Hakyeon rolled his eyes at his mother.

"Taekwoon, My name is Mrs. Cha, I will be teaching your class. So if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. This is my son Hakyeon. He can be a bit of a troublemaker, but most of the time he's a good boy. If you have a question and I'm busy you can ask him, okay?"

"Yes, Seonsaeng-nim." Taekwoon lowered his head and looked at the woman through his bangs.

"Eomma!!!" Hakyeon wailed dramatically at his mother. Taekwoon had a feeling this was normal for them. Though Hakyeon was being really dramatic, he and his mother seemed to be comfortable teasing each other often. He could tell they were very close.

Both mothers laughed at the pouting boy before they shooed them away so they could talk a little more before class started.

Taekwoon followed Hakyeon to the side of the room where the barre was set up. Both boys sat down and began their stretches, Hakyeon keeping up a one-sided conversation the whole time. He spoke of everything from what they were working on in class to the new puppy his neighbor just brought home. Taekwoon wasn't able to get even a word in, but he supposed that was okay because he didn't like to talk much anyway.

"So then I picked up the puppy. He was super cute, and he licked me on my face. Eomma told me to put it down cause that was gross, but I liked it so I didn't listen. Then the puppy peed on me and they thought it was funny. I don't like puppies anymore."

"It didn't mean to. It was just really really happy you were playing with it. I love playing with puppies, even if some have peed on me. They are really cute and they can't help it."

Hakyeon was quiet for a minute. Taekwoon figured he should treasure these quiet moments. He guessed they didn't happen often. The boy seemed to be in deep thought if his scrunched nose was anything to go by.

"Okay, I guess I still like puppies. But I'm not gonna pick them up anymore."

Taekwoon smiled a little at the other boy and nodded his head. He decided he could get to like Hakyeon. Maybe they could play outside of class too. Taekwoon had never had a friend that he played with outside of class.

"Okay everyone, pay attention." All of the children stood up and formed a line in front of the instructor.

"Did everyone do their stretches?" A chorus of ‘yes Seonsaeng-nim' met her question and she smiled wide telling everyone they had done a good job. She still had them line up along the barre and do a few more just in case before starting the lesson.

As the lesson progressed, Taekwoon doubted his earlier thoughts more and more. He regretted standing next to Hakyeon during the lesson and swore to himself that it would never happen again. The boy was perfect in everything he did. When they were asked to practice pirouette's, Hakyeon did it perfectly on the first try and every time after that. Taekwoon could do a really good pirouette, but it took him a couple of tries to find his balance. Every new position they were asked to complete Taekwoon became more and more frustrated.

By the time the class was over, Taekwoon didn't want to be Hakyeon's friend anymore. He was so embarrassed, he wouldn't even look at the other boy. When his mom finally walked in the door, he sped over to her and told her he wanted to leave right now. He was tired of being around perfect Hakyeon with his perfect form.

"Taekwoon! Wait up!" Hakyeon came running over and latched onto his arm with a big smile covering his face.

"That was a fun class, right? You did really well! Maybe we can practice together later? You can come over… tomorrow? Let's watch movies, we can sneak the cookies eomma thinks I don't know about." Hakyeon giggled at the secret joke and shook Taekwoon's arm, waiting for his response.

"No thank you. Eomma, can we please leave?" Taekwoon still refused to look at the other boy, even as he shoved the hands away from his arm.

"But… I thought we were friends?" The other boy's smile slowly fell from his face, eyes growing large with distress.

"I don't want to be your friend." Taekwoon glanced at the other with a glare before walking out, hoping his mother would follow him.

"Jung Taekwoon. You hold it right there young man. What was that? I thought you liked Hakyeon."

"Well, I don't. And I don't like this dance class anymore either. Can we go home now, please?"

"No, I don't think so. You need to go back in there and apologize to that boy. You made him very upset. He just wanted to be your friend."

Taekwoon refused to answer his mother. He didn't want to have anything to do with stupid, perfect Hakyeon. He crossed his arms over his chest and scrunched his nose, looking away.

"Young man…" Taekwoon's mother sounded completely done with him but stopped short when she heard his light sniffles. His shoulders shook with his effort in trying to keep quiet, but they still came.

"Oh baby, what happened?" She knelt down and hugged her crying child close. Taekwoon rubbed his teary face into her shoulder and let her pull him in. It didn't even matter that they were in front of the studio still, where everyone; including Hakyeon, could probably see.

"It was horrible eomma. They are so much better than me. I'm the worst ever… and Hakyeon was the best of them all. I had to dance next to him the whole time and… and I looked so dumb. I don't want to go back. Please don't make me eomma!"

"Oh baby, I'm sure that's not true. You're a beautiful dancer. I'm sure you're just as good as anyone else in that class, even Hakyeon."

"That's not true."

"It is. Tell you what. How about we go get some ice cream to make you feel better?"

"Really?" Large watery eyes looked up at the woman and she smiled, wiping the puffy red cheeks underneath.

"Of course… However…" Taekwoon groaned. He knew there had to be a catch. There was always a catch when it came to ice cream.

"You have to come to class next week. I want you to speak to Mrs. Cha about this. Maybe we can find another class for you."

"Eomma! The only other class is for babies! I'm not going to a class for babies." Taekwoon was pouting again.

"I never said that you had to find a new class Woonie. It was only a suggestion. But we will be having a chat with Mrs. Cha."

"Fine… can we get ice cream now?"

"Yes, we can get ice cream now," the woman sighed with exasperation.

As his mother pulled out her keys to unlock the car Taekwoon looked back at the studio one last time. Through the window, he could see Mrs. Cha holding a crying Hakyeon. The other boy's face was pushed into his mother's neck, but Taekwoon could make out the same redness that had colored his own cheeks a minute ago.

Guilt pulled at his heart as he turned back toward the car and pulled the door open. He forced himself to not feel bad. Hakyeon was a meanie that made him look bad in front of everyone. He deserved whatever Taekwoon had said.

As the week went on, Taekwoon slowly forgot about dance class. His piano lessons and singing lessons filled up a lot of his time when he wasn't in school and by the time the weekend came around again Taekwoon had completely forgotten about the incident.

It wasn't until his mother was laying out his dance clothes that it all came rushing back. Taekwoon ran back to his room and hid under his covers, refusing to come out. Eventually, his mother threatened to cut his other lessons if he didn't come out for class. He loved singing and the piano more than just about anything and didn't want to do anything to loose them. Slowly he lowered his covers from over his head and found his mother at the end of his bed scowling at him. He tried for a pout but only received an unimpressed glare in return.

His clothes were picked up from the bed and tossed at his face, causing him to splutter. He was told in no uncertain terms that he had five minutes to get ready before his mother started making phone calls. Quickly he jumped up, grabbing his clothes and ran into the bathroom to get ready for class.

The closer they got to the studio, the more worried Taekwoon became. What if because Hakyeon was mad at what he said, he made Taekwoon look even worse today? What if he was so bad that everyone stopped dancing and laughed at him.

"Eomma, do I really have to go to practice? I don't feel good."

"That's just nerves. Once you speak to Mrs. Cha, you will feel better."

"I doubt it…" Taekwoon was sure that Hakyeon's mother was going to hate him too for making her child cry. He was going to get kicked out, which didn't seem so bad to Taekwoon right now. It would keep him from having to see Hakyeon at least.

"We're here." Taekwoon looked up and found the studio right in front of him. He groaned as he unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly slid from the car when his mother came around to open his door.

Taekwoon whined pitifully as his mother pulled him toward the front of the building. He tried to drag his feet but a warning look from his mother stopped that behavior immediately.

"Eomma, do I really have to go in there? Can I just stop dancing? I like piano and singing much more." He ignored the fact that before his embarrassment he loved dancing just as much.

"First of all, you can't just avoid what happened Woonie. You were rude to Hakyeon and you need to apologize. Second, you are an amazing dancer and shouldn't quit the second you find someone that gives you a run for your money. Hakyeon being a good dancer isn't a bad thing. You can learn from each other and become even better."

Taekwoon scrunched up his face. He didn't want to learn anything from stupid Hakyeon.

With another exasperated sigh, his mother pulled open the door and ushered him into the small studio.

Everything seemed to be the same as the week prior. Many of the kids were chatting with each other, some stretching, some just relaxing until the lesson started.

Taekwoon's mother pulled him farther into the building. He looked up and found that they were making their way straight over to his instructor.

"Taekwoon, welcome back! How was your week sweetheart, did you do anything fun?" The woman knelt in front of the small boy and gave him a bright smile.

Taekwoon shuffled around uncomfortably. Why was she being so nice to him? He had made Hakyeon cry last week. He knew if someone had made someone he loved cry he wouldn't be nice to that person anymore. Taekwoon remained silent and dropped his eyes to the floor, trying to pretend the woman wasn't even in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I think there was a little misunderstanding last week. I don't think Taekwoon was prepared for the difficulty of the class and became embarrassed when he didn't do quite as well as the other children. Unfortunately, he took that out on Hakyeon."

"I thought Taekwoon did extremely well last class. Many of the children find it difficult to hold poses for more than a few seconds and will sometimes lose their balance if they work on a pose for too long. However, Taekwoon was consistent with each position he was asked to practice. It might have taken him a try or two, but once he got it he continually nailed it. I was actually quite pleased with your performance last week Taekwoon."

"Hakyeon did it better." The words were mumbled, but both women heard it. His instructor placed a light hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look back up at her.

"Sweetheart, Hakyeon practices twice as much as everyone in this class. When he leaves the studio, he doesn't leave his lessons here, we work on things at home too. Being his instructor and mother I'm able to spend a lot more time with him, helping him move forward. I know sometimes it can be a bit much when you have to practice next to someone that seems to be farther along, but if you were to practice as much as Hakyeon, you would be just as good I know it." She gave him another smile before standing up to speak to his mother once more.

As he half listened to the two women talk, he looked around the room again, looking for the hyper ball of sunshine that was Cha Hakyeon. After a moment he realized that the young boy wasn't there.

"Seonsaeng-nim?" Taekwoon pulled on the woman's sleeve to gain her attention.

"Yes, sweetheart?" The woman gave the young boy her full attention once again.

"Where is Hakyeon?" He quickly looked around again, half expecting the boy to pop out of nowhere at the sound of his name.

"Oh, he wasn't feeling well today, so he stayed home. But I'll let him know that you were asking about him. Is that okay?"

Taekwoon hung his head at the new information. What if Hakyeon didn't want to be here because of him. He felt tears start to sting at his eyes, but he blinked rapidly to force them away. He nodded at his instructor's question before shuffling off toward the barre and starting his stretches. He noticed his mother talking with the instructor for a few more minutes before both women smiled, saying their goodbyes. His mother gave him one last smile and thumbs up then left the building. He was on his own.

The class progressed without too much trouble. Now that Taekwoon wasn't forced to stand next to Hakyeon he could see that he was at the same level as the rest of the class. He would even be confident enough to say he was better than some of them. By the end of the lesson, Taekwoon was in a much better mood and felt that he would be able to stay in the class. Hakyeon might be better than him, but with as much as Taekwoon was told the other practiced, it was to be expected.

As he cooled down and drank his water the instructor came and sat with him, giving him a warm smile.

"So, how do you think the class went today Taekwoon?"

"Okay, I think? I'm still having trouble with a couple of the positions, but I'm getting better I think."

"You are doing very well sweetheart. I'm very proud of you and I'm sure you eomma will be very happy to hear how well you are doing."

She paused for a moment, and Taekwoon watched as she sent him an uncertain glance.

"Do you think you will want to stay in the class?" She seemed nervous. Taekwoon figured she was worried about her son and how Taekwoon being there would affect the other.

"I want to stay if that's okay?"

"Of course sweetheart. I would be very happy to keep you in my class. You are very talented."

"Thank you Seonsaeng-nim." Taekwoon blushed.

"Of course. Now finish cooling down, your eomma should be here soon."

Taekwoon nodded at the woman before becoming distracted with his stretches. As he sat against the wall he couldn't help but listen to the other kids around him. After a while, he noticed the use of Hakyeon's name and listened closer.

"I wonder where he is? I don't think I've ever seen Hakyeon miss a class yet."

"Who cares? He's such a show-off. Just because his eomma is the instructor doesn't mean he can make the rest of us look dumb." The small huddle of children all nodded in agreement with sour looks on their faces.

"I hope he never comes back."

Taekwoon didn't know what to do. Yes, he had been angry with Hakyeon for the exact same thing just last week, but now that he knew why Hakyeon was so good at dancing, he felt anger for the other boy. How dare these kids say such mean things about him. Anger flared in his chest as he stood up and marched up to the group.

Eyes turned up to stare at him as he towered over the small group. A glare covered his features and he could see a couple of the other kids shuffle uncomfortably.

"You shouldn't say mean things about someone behind their back. It's rude. Just because Hakyeon is a better dancer than you doesn't give you the right to be mean to him. Besides, even if Hakyeon wasn't here to be better than you, I was. I'm not as good of a dancer as him, but I'm much better than you so maybe you should spend more time practicing and less time saying mean things about people." With those words, he spun around and stormed toward the front door to wait for his mother. He never saw the bright smile his instructor sent him before his mother was there and ushering him out the door.

Once again, the rest of the week progressed without incident. Taekwoon went to school, did homework, sang, practiced on his piano, and even danced a little.

Hakyeon crossed his mind a few times, especially while he danced. He hoped the other boy would be at practice that weekend. He wanted to say sorry for being mean. Maybe Hakyeon would still want to be his friend. Taekwoon hoped so.

Taekwoon was buzzing with energy the whole drive to dance class the next weekend. He couldn't wait to get inside and see Hakyeon. He wanted to show the other kids that even though he knew Hakyeon was a better dancer than him, he would still be his friend. He wasn't going to be dumb like the rest of them.

Finally, his mother's car pulled up in front of the studio and Taekwoon has his seat belt off before the engine was turned off.

"Taekwoon, slow down. The studio isn't going anywhere."

"I know eomma. I just really want to get inside and talk to Hakyeon."

His mother turned around in her seat and gave him a proud smile. He returned it with a cheeky show of his teeth and she chuckled at him before getting out of the car and going around to let him out too.

Taekwoon held his mother's hand all the way to the front door of the studio. The building was on a main street and his mother didn't want anything happening to him. He didn't mind much. He knew it was because she loved him. As they went through the door Taekwoon's eyes immediately scanned the room, looking for Hakyeon.

The other boy was in the corner of the room, stretching on his own. He looked sad, even from across the room Taekwoon could see the small frown on his face even with his head lowered. He looked like he would rather be anywhere other than here.

Taekwoon gave him mother a smile and a hug before making his way over to Hakyeon and sitting next to him.

"Hi." Taekwoon figured he would start small and work his way up to saying sorry. He wasn't sure if Hakyeon still wanted to be his friend after how mean Taekwoon had been to him.

Hakyeon's head shot toward him, eyes wide. He looked scared that Taekwoon was sitting next to him. Like he was just waiting for the other to say something hurtful again. After a moment his head lowered again and he shuffled away slightly, continuing with his stretches.

Taekwoon followed him, scooting closer and leaning in so he could see the others face.

"Hakyeon, I'm sorry." He tried to catch the other boy's gaze, but Hakyeon refused to look at him. Taekwoon sighed in frustration. He had to make him see that he felt bad about how mean he had been. He just wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Did you really yell at the other kids?" Taekwoon almost missed the quietly spoken words. He had to stop a moment to think about what he had heard. Slowly a tiny small pulled at his lips.

"I did. They were being mean. I know I was mean to you too but it was stupid. I was mad that you were such a good dancer and better than me. But that's dumb, I was wrong to be mad at you. Can we be friends?" Taekwoon looked to the other boy in uncertainty, hoping that the other would forgive him.

There was silence between them as Hakyeon bit his lip, indecisiveness painting his features. To Taekwoon it felt like hours before Hakyeon smiled at him and nodded, finally turning his whole body to face Taekwoon before leaning in to hug the other tightly.

"Thank you." As Hakyeon let go he placed a light kiss on Taekwoon's blushing cheek, receiving a sour look in return. Taekwoon rubbed at the cheek Hakyeon had just accosted as his blush grew, causing the darker boy to crumple in uncontrolled giggles.

"That's gross Hakyeon! Keep your lips to yourself," Taekwoon groused. It took a moment for Hakyeon to get his breathing under control and sit properly once more. Both boys stared at each other for a moment before Hakyeon lost it again and keeled sideways, slapping the floor with his palm.

Taekwoon chuckled lightly, a small but bright smile on his face as he watched his new friend laugh. He hoped to be the cause of many more smiles like the one he was seeing now in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should be working on YWLMS, and I am... slowly. However, I wanted to give people something to read while they waited. I still have no idea how long it will be until I update chapter three... it's kicking my ass. I'm sorry to say I won't be doing any work on it until next week though because I'm going to the G-Dragon concert in LA! I'm really excited about it even if it does take me away from my writing for a while. BUT I promise as soon as I get back I will work my ass off to get the next chapter out!
> 
> Ta everyone!
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment.


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